GAMBLING ADDICTIONS

Did you know an estimated 2 million people in the United States struggle with gambling addictions and the negative repercussions of such behavior?

Gambling addictions are intertwined with the brain’s natural risk-reward complex, which is our natural tendency to take risks that can ultimately lead to a reward. When we achieve the reward, a release of dopamine (a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s pleasure center) occurs. 

When something good happens, like winning a bet, our dopamine levels surge. While this is a normal response when something good happens, a gambling addiction is essentially our risk-reward complex in overdrive. 

Personal experiences, life circumstances, a need for validation, and certain personality traits have also been known to contribute to gambling problems.